05/26/2026
Congratulations to Jack Grabowski on being selected as the recipient of the Larry Hetzel Volleyball Leadership Award at The John Carroll School! This award, which comes with a $1000 college scholarship, is sponsored by the Kutcher Foundation and honors the legacy of Larry Hetzel (JC Class of 2005), a standout volleyball player, coach, mentor, and leader. Larry was a four-year volleyball player at JC, earning All-MIAA honors his senior year while helping lead the team to multiple championship appearances, including one championship victory. He also played varsity basketball before continuing his volleyball career at UMBC.
After college, Larry continued to give back to the volleyball community through coaching and mentoring young athletes. As coach of the John Carroll men’s volleyball program from 2010-2015, Larry became known not only for his love of the game, but for the way he developed leaders on and off the court. He challenged his players to work hard, inspire those around them, be selfless, and show leadership and sportsmanship in all aspects of life.
Jack truly exemplifies all of those same qualities. In his own words, he describes leadership as “understanding and executing what you need to do to make the whole group succeed, even if it means taking away credit from yourself.” Throughout his time in the John Carroll volleyball program, Jack consistently put team success ahead of personal recognition.
One of the most powerful examples of his leadership was his willingness to change positions and sacrifice playing time to help a younger teammate develop and strengthen the team as a whole. He also noted that volleyball helped shape him into a confident leader who values teamwork, communication, friendship, and supporting others through both victories and challenges.
Current John Carroll volleyball coach Tim Kutcher (Class of 2015) was honored to have played for Coach Hetzel during his time at JC, making this award and Larry’s lasting legacy even more meaningful to the program today.
Coach Hetzel’s legacy lives on through student-athletes like Jack who lead with humility, heart, and selflessness. Congratulations, Jack, on this well-deserved honor and scholarship award!
